Summer Days
by ctfallengoddess
Summary: Season 2. Spoilers from episodes 1 & 2. Brooke has to get a job. Someone has a crush on Peyton.
1. On Her Own

Title: "Summer Days"

Author: Cindy

Summary: Season 2. Spoilers from episodes 1 & 2. Brooke has to get a job. Someone has a crush on Peyton.

Pairing: Naley. Maybe Brucas. And Peyton and...you'll find out!

"What is going on?" Brooke yelled and hit the machine. "What the hell is going on?" She was trying not to get upset, but she didn't understand what was happening.

"Maybe..." Peyton started to say but couldn't come up with any scenario to make her feel better.

Brooke shook her head. "I uh got to get home. Bye."

"I'll call you later!" Peyton yelled to Brooke who had already walked away.

Brooke ran the rest of the way home. She opened up her front door and closed it loudly. She heard her parents talking in the dining room.

"Mom, Dad," Brooke said. "I...what's up with the credit cards? And I couldn't get any money out of the ATM."

Her dad looked at her mom. "Well we stopped you access to all the accounts."

"Why?"

"Because we are having some money problems right now," her mom said. "We'll give you some money a week to live off of. But if you need any money other than that, you need to get a job."

"What money problems?" Brooke asked.

Her dad sighed. "We've been going over the bills and we could save a lot more if-."

"If you cut me off," she finished for him. "That's fine. I'll get a job."

Brooke spun on her heel and left the house slamming the door. She'd stay over at Peyt's tonight. Brooke was heading to Peyton's house when she passed Karen's café. She saw Karen behind the counter cleaning. Brooke walked inside.

Karen looked up from what she was doing. "Hey Brooke," she greeted her with a smile. "What's going on?"

Brooke took a seat at the counter. "I...I wanted to talk to you about maybe getting a job here...if you need help of course. If not it's ok," she said quickly.

"Slow down Brooke. Actually I do think I could use help around here. I'm going back to school," Karen told her. "So I won't really have time to be here. But just kind of over see things."

"Wow. That's really good Ms. Roe. Good luck with your classes."

"Thanks. And I told you call me Karen. So if you could start tomorrow?" she asked.

Brooke smiled. "Thank you Karen. Thank you so much. Tomorrow yes tomorrow is fine."

"Brooke can I ask why you need a job all of a sudden?"

Brooke looked down. "My parents are having financial problems they said."

"I'm sorry Brooke," Karen said.

She just shrugged. "It's ok. So what time do you want me here tomorrow?"

"Can you be here at 8?" Karen asked Brooke. "I wanted to get you trained before we open. There's not much to learn. You'll get the hang of it fast."

"8 it is! Thanks again! Bye!" Brooke hopped off the stool and left, heading to Peyton's.

Brooke leaned in Peyton's doorway with a smile. "Hey girlfriend."

Peyton looks up and saw Brooke standing there. "What's got you so cheerful?" she asked, flipping to a clean page in her sketchbook.

She shrugged. "Just got myself a summer job."

Peyton laughed. "Brooke Davis has a job?"

"That's right girlie. You are looking at the newest employee at Karen's Café." Brooke paused before continuing. "My parents are having money problems or something. It doesn't matter. So I have a job. Is it that unbelievable?"

"A little. But that's good Brooke. When do you start?"

"Tomorrow morning at 8. I'm being trained probably by Haley," she answered Peyton.

"I'll be sure to stop by. Thought I'm not sure I'd trust you to make my coffee," Peyton said grinning.

Brooke grabbed a pillow and tossed it at Peyton, then hopped onto the bed next to her. "So what are we doing tonight?"

Peyton shrugged. "I don't know. We could go see a movie?"

"Sounds good and oh yeah...I'm sleeping over tonight."

"Ok then," Peyton laughed. "I don't think I've ever invited you to stay over all these years."

Brooke thought for a minute. "Well there was that one time in 5th grade. Remember? We wished for snow that night and when we got up there was snow everywhere," she recalled smiling.

"I remember," Peyton said. "We had a snowball fight and made snow angels."

"Anyway, get your ass up. We have a movie to go see."

"What movie do you want to see?" Peyton asked her.

"How about Resident Evil: Apocalypse?" Brooke suggested. "The first one was good. What's better than seeing a girl kick some ass?"

Peyton laughed. "I've wanted to see that."

Brooke got up. "Alright then, it's settled!"


	2. Starting Over

Peyton was still asleep when Brooke got up. She took a shower and brushed her hair back into a perfect ponytail, leaving her bangs down. She applied barely any make-up; just your basic cover-up and light eye shadow and clear lip gloss. She dressed in a pair of her comfortable jeans and maroon v-neck three quarter sleeve shirt. Since it was air conditioned in there she didn't want to freeze.

Brooke wrote Peyton a quick note telling her that she went to work and they'd do something that night. And then she was on her way to the café. Brooke got there around 7:30am. She wanted to be early and make a good impression. This job had to work out and there was no way she wanted to let Karen down. She's been too good to her.

The light was on inside, Brooke figured Haley must be getting everything ready to open. Brooke walked inside the bell alerting her presence. She walked to the counter and Lucas stood up.

"Brooke?"

Brooke looked away. She hadn't been stupid to think they wouldn't run into each other there but she didn't know he was going to be working there! He was working with his uncle last she heard.

"Lucas what are you doing here?"

"Well this is my summer job," he told her.

"But I thought you worked with Keith," she said.

Lucas nodded. "Yeah, I did. But it pays better than any job around here, and I know Nathan and Haley could use the money more. What are you doing here?"

"This is my summer job," Brooke said in a lower voice. She hadn't exactly wanted to let too many people know about her situation. But then again people would see her working and ask all sorts of questions anyway. "I needed a job and I talked to your mom about getting a job here. I figure she trusts me and I don't want to let her down..." she trailed off as Lucas started speaking.

"So why do you need a summer job?"

Brooke shifted her weight from one foot to the other. "Look if I tell you don't go around telling everyone."

"You should know I won't. I wouldn't do that to you Brooke," he told her.

She sarcastically laughed. "You said you wouldn't do a lot of things." Brooke noticed the look on Lucas' face. "I'm sorry Luke. I didn't mean-."

Lucas shook his head. "I deserved it Brooke. After all I did...I deserve a lot more than a few sarcastic words."

Brooke forced herself to look away. _'Why does he have to do this? It makes it so hard for me to hate him or at least continue to try and hate him,' Brooke told herself. _"My parents...we're having financial problems. And that means I had to get a job."

"I'm sorry Brooke."

She shook her head. "It doesn't matter. Besides it will give me something to do with my time."

"So we'll be working together all summer," Lucas said.

"Looks that way."

"Do you think we could maybe work on becoming friends again?" he asked her.

Brooke looked at him. She wanted to say no. Her head was telling her to say no or you'll end up getting hurt again. But her heart spoke up first. "I think we could work on that," she said smiling a little. "Maybe we could start over? Brooke Davis."

"Lucas Scott. Nice to meet you," he said grinning.

"Ok Mr. Scott. Show me how to work these things."

Lucas laughed and started showing Brooke how to work the machines. For the majority of the morning during the busy hours all Brooke did was the register.

"Ok are you ready to try and make a coffee?"

"Yes. I mean I think so."

Lucas told her a drink to make. Brooke did what she thought she remembered. She passed the drink to Luke. Luke hesitated before picking the cup up.

"I didn't poison it," Brooke told him.

He took a sip and struggled to force himself to swallow it. "Your right you didn't. Poison tastes better."

Brooke smacked him playfully. "It's not that bad is it?"

Lucas handed her the cup and Brooke took a sip. She ran in back to the sink and spit it out. "Why did you swallow that?" she asked him. "That was beyond horrible. God I can't even make coffee."

"You will get the hang of it Brooke. Trust me," Luke assured her. "I promise."

She bit back the urge to say something sarcastic about their past, but they were trying a new start. "I hope so," she said uncertainly.

"Come here," Lucas said going over to the machine. "I'll help you. I'll walk you through it step by step."

After Lucas walked her through it, Brooke tried it on her own. She handed Lucas the cup and closed her eyes. "You're not choking. That's a good sign," she said when he didn't say anything. She opened one eye and then the other.

"Much, much better," Lucas told her.

Brooke smiled. "You have something," she trailed off leaning dangerously close to him and wiped his lip with a napkin. "There was foamy stuff," she said softly, still close to him.

Peyton was walking to the café figuring she'd see how Brooke's first day was going. Peyton got to the door but stopped herself from opening it. She saw Luke and Brooke's faces inches apart from one another. Instead she turned and walked away before either one saw her. She just walked around town for a bit thinking to herself.

"Hey skinny girl."

Peyton turned around slightly smiling. It was Lucas' friend Skills from the river court. "Hey. What's going on?"

Skills shrugged. "Bored on this fine summer day. What's your excuse?"

"Basically the same," she told him. "Where were you heading?"

"I don't know. Where were you heading?"

"I don't know," she answered him.

Skills started walking and bouncing a basketball. Peyton fell in step with him. "Do you guys go anywhere without a basketball?"

He laughed. "Nah. Wanna shoot some hoops?"

Peyton didn't really have anything else she should be doing. "Alright you're on."

"And don't think just because you are a girl I'm going to let you win."

Peyton pushed him, playfully of course. "I don't need you to let me win. I can win all on my own," she challenged grinning.

Skills couldn't help laughing. "Alright Skinny girl, care to make a bet then?"

"Sure."

"Winner owes the loser a movie," he said.

"With sour jacks," she added.

"And a coke. Deal?"

She stuck her hand out for them to shake on it. "Deal," she agreed, grinning.


End file.
